CSCI 255 PIC32

Why not the PIC24

The textbook uses the PIC24 architecture.
(Though I do think the next version may use the PIC32.)
Here are my reasons for using the PIC32 this term.

The PIC32 uses a unified address space for programming.
The PIC24 uses the Harvard memory model, where there is one
address space for instructions and another for data.
This simplifies the discussion of pp. 56-59.

The PIC32 has only one addressing mode.
The PIC24 has about seven, as explained in pp. 61-78.
Mastery of PIC24 addressing modes
has often been a problem for CSCI 255 students
and instructors.

The PIC32 does not have condition codes.
This makes it easier to implement conditional and iterative code,
the topic of Chapter 4.

The PIC32 is a 32-bit machine. The PIC24 is a 16-bit machine.
This avoids the need for special sequences of instructions to
implement 32-bit operations, the topic of Chapter 5.

The PIC32 uses the MIPS32 instruction set. This is
a simpler instruction set than the PIC24 instruction set
described in Appendix A.

The MIPS instruction set is used in CSCI 320, so
you’ll only need to learn one machine language at
UNC Asheville.